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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24110680">Baking</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/captain_sassy_socks/pseuds/captain_sassy_socks'>captain_sassy_socks</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stargate SG-1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff Defense Force Challenge</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:27:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,308</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24110680</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/captain_sassy_socks/pseuds/captain_sassy_socks</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam attempts to bake a chocolate cake.</p>
<p>Jack has some doubts.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Baking</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="western">Sam looks around to make sure that the ingredients on the counter are ready for use. She hopes she hasn't forgotten anything. She double-checks the recipe.<br/><br/>1 cup crushed chocolate wafer crumbs, sugar, butter, 2 cups chocolate chips, 2 packages cream cheese softened, all-purpose flour, 2 eggs, vanilla extract-</p>
<p class="western">Damn, missed that one. She goes back to the cupboard and rummages in the shelf with all the spices and baking ingredients. It must be somewhere. Hidden behind the semolina, she detects what she’s looking for. She grabs the little bottle and places it next to the others.<br/><br/>Where was she? Sam skims the lines and checks off everything in her head once more. A can with whipped cream and a bowl with strawberries wait in the fridge for later when she’ll tackle garnishing. First, she must bake the cake. It can’t be more complicated than preparing a souffle or building a naquadah generator.<br/><br/>An assortment of bowls and kitchen utensils waits within reach. On the stove, a pot with the water boils.<br/><br/>“Okay, let’s do it,” Sam claps her hands. The first step entails greasing the 9-in spring-form pan. The task is completed in no time. Next up, Sam measures approximately 3 tablespoons of butter and softens it. In a small bowl, she combines the crumbs with the required amount of sugar before she adds the almost molten butter. She mixes the three ingredients and dumps it in the cake-pan. With her hands, she presses on and creates an even, thin base.<br/><br/>That went surprisingly well.<br/><br/>Sam washes her hands at the sink before she tackles the next task, the filling.<br/><br/>She locates the hand mixer and plugs it in. In a larger bowl, she beats the cream cheese, half a cup of sugar - better to use less than stated in the recipe - and 2 overloaded tablespoons of flour until a smooth texture develops. She cracks both eggs and adds them. On a lower speed, she blends them.<br/><br/>A cloud of flour dust wafts through the room.<br/><br/>Okay, now comes the tricky part, melting the chocolate chips over the boiling water. Since she doesn’t have a special double boiler, she has to improvise with her equipment. She’s good at improvising.<br/><br/>The tip of her tongue peeks out in concentration. Meticulously, she stirs the melting chocolate. Preoccupied with the process, Sam misses the shadow that enters the kitchen. Toweling his hair, Jack asks, “What are you doing?”<br/><br/>Without looking up, Sam replies, “Baking.” The consistency is too sticky. Maybe a little bit of warm water will help.<br/><br/>"Wow!" Jack’s raised eyebrow would make Teal’c proud. <br/><br/>“Why?” Sam replies slightly irritated as she dilutes the brown mass. “Do you doubt my culinary abilities?” She fixes him with a brief stare over her shoulder.<br/><br/>“It’s just, you rarely bake.” Jack shrugs and discards the damp towel on the back of a chair. He can count on one hand the times she tried to bake, fry or broil. The results ranged from edible to worse than mess hall. Still, he’ll never dampen her enthusiasm. He rounds the counter and surveys the cluttered mess in front of him. “What’s it gonna be?”<br/><br/>“Chocolate cake with strawberries.” She tells him with pride in her voice before she catches a glimpse of him sticking out his pinkie finger in the bowl's direction. “Ah, ah!” she admonishes him.<br/><br/>Startled, his hand jerks away. “Can I lick the bowl?” <br/><br/>Sam switches off the stove and puts the tempting content out of Jack’s reach. It needs to cool down for a while.<br/><br/>“Please?” Jack juts out his bottom lip while his puppy-dog eyes sparkle in joyful anticipation. His right hand clasps a spoon he conjured out of thin air. His tousled hair completes the adorable picture of an overeager kid in a candy shop.<br/><br/>“No. You’ll catch Salmonella or something.”<br/><br/>“I don’t know any Sal Monella,” he plays dumb.<br/><br/>Sam rolls her eyes and groans.<br/><br/>Jack steps behind her and places a quick kiss below her ear. His arms engulf her midriff as his head settles on her shoulder. “That looks yummy.”<br/><br/>“You’re not leaving me alone until you get a taste, don’t you?” His bobbing head confirms her suspicion. “Gimme your spoon.” Fast as lightning, the requested item appears in her line of vision. Sam grabs it with more force than necessary and scoops up a dollop of the creamy mixture.<br/><br/>Agape like a baby bird, Jack awaits the gracious gift that hovers mid-air. “If I give you this.” Sam swings it back and forth while Jack’s focused eyes follow the movements. “Will you be a good boy and let me finish with no further interruptions?” A frantic nod answers her question.<br/><br/>The laden spoon disappears behind greedy lips. “Hmm, thaphf delischiiischhhh.”<br/><br/>“Now, move!” Sam declares and nudges him with her backside. “I still have work to do.”<br/><br/>Chuckling, Jack disengages and moves over to the coffeemaker. He doesn’t want to be the scapegoat if the end product doesn’t match the recipe. He made the grave mistake once and learned his lesson. A distracted Sam leads to a grumpy Sam. On base, it meant death glares and restrained insubordination. At home, it means an open refusal of his proposal to engage in enjoyable physical activities. He can’t jeopardize their precious moments together.</p>
<p class="western">As predicted, a few drops of chocolate splash onto the floor tiles.</p>
<p class="western">The difference in her work ethics and her approach are remarkable when he takes in the messy state of their kitchen. Most of the time, her lab looked chaotic and littered to an unsuspecting eye. Yet, she found every tool without problems since everything had a designated place. She worked with a hidden system he had given up on deciphering a long time ago. But with any domestic project – be it baking or gardening, for example – the working area resembles a battlefield after a horde of Jaffa rampaged. It always amazes him how effortlessly she swings from one extreme to the other and doesn’t see any contradiction in it.<br/><br/>Much to his dismay, he already knows who will clean up later.<br/><br/>He scrutinizes the half-full coffeepot and proceeds to take a mug from the cupboard.<br/><br/>He loves to witness her deeply engrossed in a project. The way her eyes zigzag over her computer screen or a piece of paper, the way she worries her bottom lip between her teeth when she encounters a problem, the way her brain is three steps ahead of the process. The way she comes up with the crazy solution to ride an asteroid through Earth but fails to measure a cup, a spoon, or a pinch.<br/><br/>He tries to stifle a laugh, in vain.</p>
<p class="western">Her annoyed eyes glance at him for a split second before she returns her focus to the pressing matter, pouring the filling over the crust. Once done, she smooths the surface to perfection. A bubble level won’t find any inclination.<br/><br/>She lifts the spring-form pan and murmurs, “Break a leg.” She slides her piece of art into the preheated oven. “40, 45 minutes tops,” she announces to no one in particular as she closes the door.<br/><br/>“Don’t worry. It’ll be delicious,” Jack assures her while he sips his coffee. Something is missing. His sweet tooth demands an extra flavor today.<br/><br/>Challenged by his sarcastic undertone, she folds her arms over her chest. “You think so?”<br/><br/>“Sure, it’s chocolate cake.” He pats her back as he passes her. “What could go wrong?”<br/><br/>Sam narrows her eyes at him. “Keep going and you won’t get a slice.”<br/><br/>“You wouldn’t.” He blows her a kiss and opens the fridge. In search of sweetened condensed milk, his gaze lands on the toppings. A wicked plan shapes up in his mind. “Sam.” His grinning face appears from behind the door. “Do you <em>really</em> need the strawberries and whipped cream?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A little fluffy piece to brighten your day.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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